TexasLegacy2.5GT Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Enter the JDM front clip: at the end of this month my 98' JDM front clip arrives in Dallas. First thing I'm going to do is swap out the radiator support,lights, fenders, and hood at a friends shop. After I get the car looking decent I am faced with the thoughts on the engine. The front clip has all the wiring and ECU for a RHD EJ20R. The only guy I know that's made headway into making the EJ20R run here is Furman. There are some NZ second Gen people that have made mods to the motor and it's decent for under 400HP. I'll have everything I need to convert my car to RHD. Its a hell of a project to take on. I'd like to hear from the experienced second Gen people on here and what they think about the EJ20R motor. This JDM motor is all over Dallas, because it's really not an easy fit for LHD USDM cars. I know about the buying the rolled WRX and just going from there but this seems much easier since I'll have 1/2 of a car already in my possession for cheap. The motor in question: http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/Rubenjc111/9B611175.jpg http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/Rubenjc111/3BF227A3.jpg http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/Rubenjc111/8F1E126D.jpg http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/Rubenjc111/D956C6F5.jpg http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/Rubenjc111/653EA435.jpg Thoughts? Questions? Testimonials? No flaming please. I'd have posted on NASIOC for the kids. Thank you for any help on the matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasLegacy2.5GT Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 Really?!? No one has a comment on the whole JDM EJ20R motor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted May 14, 2012 I Donated Share Posted May 14, 2012 Nobody here has run the EJ20R except for me (that I know of). Here are my thoughts : The EJ20R is virtually the same thing as the EJ20K (v3 STI). Its a decent powerplant if you're wanting to make modest power. I was happy with mine. I eventually had head gasket failure due to two reasons. 1 - I was a little too boost happy on some tunes. The GT3076R turbo @ 12 psi was a little much and damaged the head gaskets. The heads would lift off of the deck under high boost, causing coolant bypass....that was the beginning of the end for the head gaskets 2 - Design of the gaskets had part of it as well. The design of the EJ20R head gaskets are similar to the EJ25D, so they are somewhat prone to the same kind of failure. Add a lot of boost to the equation....well see point #1. The powerband you can get with this engine is great. With the proper tune, you can get some quick spool times and you can get your power fast. The cams that come with the EJ20R heads (same as EJ20K) are amazing. The heads seem to flow pretty good as well. Honestly, if you were to ask me if it was worth it....I would say go for it. I was more then happy with mine. On stock internals, you will be able to creep up around the 400 wheel horse power range without any major concerns of imminent engine failure. If you do go with an EJ20R though, a few suggestions I have are 1 - Replace the head gaskets, timing components, oil pump, and timing belt before you install the engine. You don't know what kind of shape they are in. As far as head gaskets go, you need THICK gaskets. Stock size on the EJ20R is 1.6....over twice as thick as stock USDM engines. Your best route is to go to Cometic and have them custom make you either 1.6 or 1.8(if you're planning on running lots of boost) gaskets. IIRC, the timing kit that I had used was for an 02-07WRX and the oil pump was for the 02-07WRX as well. Valve cover gaskets were difficult to figure out, and I honestly can't remember what I wound up using. I do know that the USDM 2.0 and 2.5 turbo engine vcgs would not fit though. 2 - ARP HEAD STUDS. You can pick them up for $100 +/- $15 on Ebay. Any standard size set for the EJ205, EJ255, or EJ257 will work just fine. This will help prevent the heads lifting that I mentioned earlier. Be sure to disregard the standard torque sequence and specs though if you install ARPs. Use ARPs recommended torque sequence and specs. If you're planning on running the stock EJ20R ECU with the stock turbo setup, you will need the right harness and do a harness merge just like you would if you did a stock USDM WRX/STI swap. I did a Megasquirt stand alone...and it kept me VERY happy. I was able to tune my car on the fly via my laptop. I was able to do everything from launch control, flat shifting, valet mode, etc with my Megasquirt. Stand alone is ALWAYS better...but there are the headaches that accompany it as well....usually most of them are during the install. Any specific questions? -broknindarkagain My Current Project - Click Here COME AND TAKE IT "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasLegacy2.5GT Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 "I do know that the USDM 2.0 and 2.5 turbo engine vcgs would not fit though" So, where did you find the proper Valve Cover Gaskets (VCGs) if none of the USDM (2.0 or 2.5) would fit? Did you re-use the JDM ones that came with the original motor? Also, these guy in England bought an imported GT-B from NZ where they figured a way to make the twin scroll turbo's to run parallel and not one before the other: http://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/94493-legacy-twin-turbo.html Guess the people over in NZ have this car figured out the right way. I suppose all these Places are using RHD as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted May 14, 2012 I Donated Share Posted May 14, 2012 IIRC, I ordered a set from Japan specifically for the EJ20R. -broknindarkagain My Current Project - Click Here COME AND TAKE IT "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TbirdMan Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 nice link there, I normally don't like the look of morettes, but with a headlight cover they look pretty BA, I may have to make my own "Morette" style lights and go that route. http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/200/legacyzc3.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted May 14, 2012 I Donated Share Posted May 14, 2012 I love the wheels....and the color of that car. The morettes are really good looking with a cover too. However.....the damn rice spoiler on that car makes me angry lol....so do the mirrors. -broknindarkagain My Current Project - Click Here COME AND TAKE IT "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TbirdMan Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 meh, it is a UK hoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted May 14, 2012 I Donated Share Posted May 14, 2012 I like the seats though. -broknindarkagain My Current Project - Click Here COME AND TAKE IT "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasLegacy2.5GT Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 Anyone else have experience with the EJ20R turbo motor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stasis Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 I have ej20r >_> although mines stock, wasn't swapped in lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gergeek Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Do it, its going to be a fun project and a fast car once you are done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasLegacy2.5GT Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 I have ej20r >_> although mines stock, wasn't swapped in lol Stasis, did you modify the motor any or just let it stay as is? Is it true Bout the VOD that the motor has between turbo's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasLegacy2.5GT Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 I have ej20r >_> although mines stock, wasn't swapped in lol Also, there are some NZ guys that have made mods to the turbos to make Them run parallel and not use them as the "twin scroll" they as came stock. In NZ there seems to be lots of Subaru's on the road. Maybe I should make friends with some people/companys in NZ. Also, is your GT-B BG a manual or auto? That's an awesome car! Incidentally, the GT-B held the record for the worlds fastest production estate car at 176mph during a period of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camroncamera Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Reuben (from NZ) over at SL-i.net explains the frustrations with Twin Turbo and the Valley Of Death pretty well in his Ride Thread here: http://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?p=288217#p288217 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stasis Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Also, there are some NZ guys that have made mods to the turbos to make Them run parallel and not use them as the "twin scroll" they as came stock. In NZ there seems to be lots of Subaru's on the road. Maybe I should make friends with some people/companys in NZ. Also, is your GT-B BG a manual or auto? That's an awesome car! Incidentally, the GT-B held the record for the worlds fastest production estate car at 176mph during a period of time. Manual, would never buy a turbo car that was auto really. It's stock, completely. Although it's burning oil as of late when running on turbos a lot o-o Only get 400km to a tank sadly haha I do love this car though, so god damn much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasLegacy2.5GT Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 Cameron, thanks for that link! Reuben's GT-B limited thread is Epic! The NZ crowd has so much better development for Legacy mods. I'm jealous in every way of how epic the 2nd Gen Legacy came to it's finalle there. Just superior in every way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camroncamera Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Cameron, thanks for that link! Reuben's GT-B limited thread is Epic! The NZ crowd has so much better development for Legacy mods. I'm jealous in every way of how epic the 2nd Gen Legacy came to it's finalle there. Just superior in every way. I know, right?! I doubt I'd ever be able to go turbo on my wife's car, but I am trying my darndest to cosmetically transform that USDM GT BK wagon to the BG5 GT-B Limited look. No doubt that Reuben's black GT-B is my inspiration. The Limited bumper MAKES the 2nd-gen Legacy IMO. USDM BK GT's got screwed not only in power, but got screwed by: lame headlights lame grille lame bumper lame foglights lame wheels (GT 16" snowflakes not so bad but I *love* them JDM GT-B 17's!) lame suspension lame mudflaps (JDM Spats / Aero Guards FTW) lame side moulding w/ no sidemarker (at least the thick molding is practical) lame mirrors ("Shrek ears") lame taillights/garnish lame unpainted side skirts lame rear bumper/lower lip lame rear badging lame seats lame roof rack (USDM BG's (Outbacks) got the same style as JDM, but BK's got that thick thing) lame headgaskets On the bright side... the USDM BK GT's got Nice smooth roof Nice sliding sunroof over the front seats Nice LHD and uh... uh... anything else? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted May 16, 2012 I Donated Share Posted May 16, 2012 Overseas there are actually some followings for USDM parts believe it or not -broknindarkagain My Current Project - Click Here COME AND TAKE IT "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasLegacy2.5GT Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 Brok, you have GOT to be kidding....the "Shrek ears" mirrors must be what they want most! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyposeur Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 They like 22T blocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylorbailey2 Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Are you planning on leaving the motor with the twin turbo's?? I've beening thinking of doing the same swap in my legacy for a few months now, I keep hearing that wiring for this is a bitch, as well as the turbo's not working so well as twins? Any clarifacation on this?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TbirdMan Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 as far as sedans, i prefer the USDM taillight center garnish over the JDM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camroncamera Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 as far as sedans, i prefer the USDM taillight center garnish over the JDM. And I think that most would agree that the USDM BD trunk lid generally looks better than the JDM lid. Some have converted to JDM lids regardless, I suppose it is a fun change from the usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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